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Well, I agree with you about Tohru - there's just not enough smoke there and the clock is ticking fast. If that's even going to elevate to the level of a misdirection, never mind a serious development it's going to have to start pretty damn quick.

Still a dozen episodes left. That's practically an entire series for shorter anime. And we're going to need to have more exposition episodes on Minchi/Tohru anyway. And there's been plenty of momentum between interactions between Tohru/Ohana/Minchi to let something dramatic to develop between them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Frankly, while no two Okada series are alike you've summed it up pretty well with the last sentence of your first paragraph. You can go down the laundry list of her series at ANN or MAL and I don't think you'll find a single one that had an unexpected romantic twist at the end that resulted in a surprising pairing. Admittedly some of those series are adaptations, so one can assume that unless the series had an anime-original ending it was the original author who decided how the story would conclude. But there's a long list to go on - TT, Toradora, AnoHana, Gosick (which did have an anime-original end), Hourou Musuko... It's either the obvious pairing or no pairing at all. I haven't seen every single series she was the lead writer on so I may have missed the exception that proves the rule.

Indeed. Of course then the real question at this point isn't Okada's previous writing tells us about how preferences in couples. The real question is what Okada's previous writing tells us what she thinks about Ohana and Ko's interaction? That's the real million dollar question.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

It just seems obvious that there's a lot of thinly veiled character-bashing in this thread posing as analysis (and I'm not singling you out here). If the agenda is to bash the character, just come right out and admit you're speaking from the heart...

Well to be fair. I don't actually hate Ko or feel a need to bash him. I've mentally categorized him out of the romantic interest and into a plot foil to give the anime a somber/sentimental when Ohana and Ko separate. In that light he's not badly constructed.

However...I probably relate to people who openly hate Ko more than I do people who somehow think he's some smooth operator/gods gift to women. Not in that I share their hatred, in that I understand their complaints better. Ko is something that DOES kind of stand aside from the characters/themes that you see at Kissiou. In a series that is only short of openly praising taking intelligent initiative in work with all your energy and the importance of the trivial domestic interactions with the people around you, Ko stands as an anomaly.

As a character, given what the writer has done with him so far, Ko only make sense to me when you look at him like a time capsule. Ko is a vessel for memories of Ohana before she developed into another person when she went to live on the alien planet Kissiou prime (although it could be argued that she has always been a dislocated Kissiou'n, and that she was an alien in Tokyo). Ko's purpose is to come to the Alien planet of Kissiou prime near the end of the series and realize more dramatically than anyone that Ohana has sprouted a forehead ridge, blue skin and has gone native.

It just seems obvious that there's a lot of thinly veiled character-bashing in this thread posing as analysis (and I'm not singling you out here). If the agenda is to bash the character, just come right out and admit you're speaking from the heart...

Speaking only for myself, I wouldn't say I hate Ko. I hate his effect on the series. I'll admit, he's providing for a ton of discussion, but as far as the enjoyability the show, man he drags it way down. This episode was a good example. Hardly a mention of him, and it was a very refreshing episode, my favorite since early in the series.

As far as the character himself, if anything I'm disappointed in him. It'd be hard to hate a side character simply because he's passive. I don't understand how people could like him either though. His handling of the last phone call with Ohana leaves me mixed though. If he's just maturely letting her go because he's moved on from a girl who can't seem to return his feelings properly, he's getting a lot of points from me. If he's still harboring the same exact feelings for her, but he simply didn't put up a fight, then again I'm disappointed.

I like the OP more than the last, but this ED is fackin terrible. It can't even compare to Hazy. :I

This episode was by far the most pimpin episode to date. We finally get to see the OG heiress Yuina being her gansta self. Fuggin doing karaoke(she was singing to the ED to episode 8, btw), fuggin rejecting bitches left and right, even her own FIANCE, fuggin jumping on Ohana, that mother effin playa, and just being high on life. I swear she hits a joint every now and then, her eyes are always half open. Fuckin winners, I'm so glad she's joining Ohana in the festing game. Two pimps are better than one!

Minko, I don't even know where to start. She knows how to shoot down bitches, she's always ahead of the game. "You BALUUUTT~!" should be considered a new slur for those bitches out there. And when she didn't take off her layers, she obviously didn't wanna show off her fine swimsuit to the other jealous wannabes on that beach.

And lol, I wasn't expecting that competitive swimsuit from Nako, when I should've. That funny mother effer. She had me. And when she and Ohana organized those slippers, holy shit. Way to be so pimpin about it, such generous people they are. :3

This episode was by far the most pimpin episode to date. We finally get to see the OG heiress Yuina being her gansta self. Fuggin doing karaoke(she was singing to the ED to episode 8, btw), fuggin rejecting bitches left and right, even her own FIANCE, fuggin jumping on Ohana, that mother effin playa, and just being high on life. I swear she hits a joint every now and then, her eyes are always half open. Fuckin winners, I'm so glad she's joining Ohana in the festing game. Two pimps are better than one!

Yuina IS a player, isn't she? Some guy bullshits her about liking "everything" and she dumps that guys ass straight in the ocean. Doesn't even bat an eyelash.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blakstealth

Minko, I don't even know where to start. She knows how to shoot down bitches, she's always ahead of the game. "You BALUUUTT~!" should be considered a new slur for those bitches out there. And when she didn't take off her layers, she obviously didn't wanna show off her fine swimsuit to the other jealous wannabes on that beach.

Minko probably feels like she spent to much time coming up with that insult it to waste it by not insulting people with it

Quote:

Originally Posted by blakstealth

And lol, I wasn't expecting that competitive swimsuit from Nako, when I should've. That funny mother effer. She had me. And when she and Ohana organized those slippers, holy shit. Way to be so pimpin about it, such generous people they are. :3

Well she DID complain about not getting to wear her competition swimsuit. I guess now that she's more vocal/comfortable around Ohana she's more willing to let slip just how much she likes swimming.

A reeeeeally late impression on this episode, mainly because, well, every time I try and post about the episode I forget what I had to say at the time but enough of my silliness

I personally thought this episode was excellent when I first watched it a week ago, and watching again, I still think it's excellent. This was the long anticipated beach episode. We knew we would get this episode thanks to the pre-release concept art showing all the four girls in their swimming getup, and I have to say that they look as lovely as they did back then:

Spoiler for Clicky:

Anyone having a better scan would be much appreciated

Contrary to what some had thought that this was a filler or filler-ish episode, this was arguably just as plot heavy as the last patch of episodes (or as plot heavy this show can get anyway ) The fanservice was tasteful, with it not being in our faces too much, and the series maintains the same level of fun I had grown to adore. I do get what many had said about Yuina's bikini being childish, but I think it suited her well, considering her personality and image as something of a playful airhead. Ohana's piece was pretty standard, though as usual it's the girl herself that draws the attention, not what she's wearing (not applied to non-Ohana characters) Her facial expressions, mannerism (especially putting Minko into that lock lol) and outward energy is as always refreshing. It's worth noting that she seems to have fully embraced the habit everyone had taken at the inn, which is noting down your thoughts on your notepad. I don't count her being a hard worker because she was always a hard worker

Minko had clearly mellowed out a lot from the first episode, to the point where she no longer seems to treat Ohana as a nuisance. Balut seems to have been added to here general vocabulary though, to the point where she is using it on others now

As for Nako the Kappa (I still can't believe that Ohana actually thought that lol) she is still the hottest character in this show, because she is a devoted swimmer Really impressive breast strokes as well, even though I don't think that swimming in the ocean is really that great of an idea. But hey, when you got to swim, you got to swim!

The last few episodes had been really great in terms of plot, but this one was a much needed breather that helped inject a decent amount of fun back again into things. If there was one thing I didn't like this episode, it would've have been how it was more like a stand alone OVA bundled with the BD rather than feeling like it's in the actually broadcasting continuity, so it felt fairly detached from the rest of the show somewhat.

Still even for a side story, it gave us perspective into Yuina, so it wasn't all for naught. Plus it was fun, and for me that's plenty for this show

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Originally Posted by totoum

Hanasaku Iroha,the show that gets the director of FMA:brotherhood to storyboard its beach episode

Lol at the fanservice in this episode. Probably the most out of any episode we got so far. However, I will be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. I'm male... sue me. In no way was this episode comparable to episode 3 or 7 though, as it wasn't ridiculously out of whack or anything. Just, light hearted fun for the first half, and a slightly more serious side in the second with Yousuke being Nazi in his treatment of his employees. Makes Tooru look like a saint the way he treated Minko at the start of the series.

I was actually expecting a total filler beach episode, but once again the PV from the last ep proved to be a troll lol. 7.5/10 for the episode, rounded up to 8.

Once again a very good episode even though the plot didn't move much forward.
I am no big fan of Yuina though. Too flimsical, a spoilt daughter who is the opposite of Ohana as she doesn't lift a finger at he grandmothers inn. Not even close to Satsuki right now, but at least tendencies towards it.